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It has been, in every sense of the phrase, a season from hell for the Ottawa Senators. It all began way back in September, when Pierre Dorion, the team’s general manager, was asked what he was optimistic about heading into the upcoming season. The best he could come up with following a long pause? “We’re a team.” RINGING endorsement !

Less than two months later, the Sens grabbed all the headlines once again, this time for a viral video of six of their players shredding the organization during an Uber ride they presumed to be private. Making matters much, much worse was the fact the video hit the web during a skid that saw Ottawa lose six of seven games, getting outscored 34 to 17 along the way. At that point, it really couldn’t get much worse, right?

Of course it could! That’s where Max Domi comes in. Domi, son of legendary enforcer Tie Domi (who once got into a fight with a Flyers fan in the penalty box), has a bit more skill than his father did on the ice, but what he did get from his dad was that same edge. The 23-year-old rising star, who was acquired by Montreal last summer, isn’t afraid to get in the mix, if you know what we mean. Look no further than this absolutely savage chirp to Ottawa’s Zack Smith on Thursday night:

Talk about a dagger. Smith, 30, was drafted by Ottawa back in 2008 and has been in the organization ever since, making him the longest-tenured player on the roster. While he’s never been a star player, he’s been solid, and he put together the two best statistical seasons of his career in 2015 and 2016. But 2017, which was abysmal for everyone in Ottawa, saw him drop off considerably. In September, Dorion waived the veteran in the hopes of “sending a message”, and when he went unclaimed Ottawa was able to pick him back up. Clearly, Domi has a good memory, and saved this vicious burn for their third meeting with the Sens on Thursday. The teams have actually played twice this week, with Montreal winning both contests 5-2. Ouch.

So in case you were wondering, things could and have gotten much worse, as Ottawa continues to be the NHL’s punching bag. And the funny thing is, they’re only five points out of a wild card spot and had just ripped off three straight wins prior to the back-to-back with Montreal. But with an upcoming schedule of Pittsburgh, Boston, @Nashville, @Detroit and @Montreal again, it feels like things are going to get real ugly real soon. At least Matt Duchene had that sick goal last week though.